A system (10) for sorting search results according to a buyer profile (47) during the matching phase of an electronic commerce transaction includes a database containing a buyer profile (47) associated with a buyer (20), the buyer profile (47) comprising a record of the number of times each of multiple sort criteria has appeared in at least some previous events involving the buyer (20). A server (40) receives multiple search results communicated from one or more seller databases (32) in response to an under-constrained search query in which exact attribute values are not specified for one or more attributes. The server (40) accesses the buyer profile (47) to determine an order of display based on the number of times one or more sort criteria in the buyer profile (47) applicable to the search results have appeared in the previous events involving the buyer (20). The server (40) sorts the search results according to the determined order of display and communicates the sorted search results to the buyer (20).
Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.
1. A system for sorting search results according to a buyer profile during the matching phase of an electronic commerce transaction, comprising: a database containing a buyer profile associated with a buyer, the buyer profile comprising a record of the number of times each of a plurality of sort criteria has appeared in at least some previous events involving the buyer; and a server operable to: receive a plurality of search results communicated from one or more seller databases in response to an under-constrained search query in which exact attribute values are not specified for one or more attributes; access the buyer profile to determine an order of display based on the number of times one or more sort criteria in the buyer profile applicable to the search results have appeared in the previous events involving the buyer; sort the search results according to the determined order of display; and communicate the sorted search results to the buyer; the server further operable to: delete a record for a sort criterion from the buyer profile if the sort criterion has not appeared within a predetermined period of time or within a specified number of recent events; notify the buyer before deleting the sort criterion; and not delete the sort criterion if the buyer indicates the sort criterion should not be deleted.
2. The system of claim 1 , wherein an attribute value is selected from the group consisting of a product attribute value and a seller attribute value.
3. The system of claim 1 , wherein a sort criterion is selected from the group consisting of a product attribute, a product attribute value, a seller attribute, and a seller attribute value.
4. The system of claim 1 , wherein an event is selected from the group consisting of a search query, a sort request, and a search result selection.
5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the server is operable to determine the order of display according to the number of times each of a plurality of attribute values has appeared in events involving the buyer.
6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the sewer is operable to determine the order of display according to the number of times each of a plurality of attributes has appeared in events involving the buyer.
7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the buyer profile comprises a record of the number of times each of a plurality of sort criteria has appeared in a specified number of recent events involving the buyer.
8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the search query is under-constrained in that no attribute values are specified for one or more attributes.
9. A method of sorting search results according to a buyer profile during the matching phase of an electronic commerce transaction, comprising: receiving a plurality of search results communicated from one or more seller databases in response to an under-constrained search query in which exact attribute values are not specified for one or more attributes; accessing a buyer profile associated with a buyer, the buyer profile comprising a record of the number of times each of a plurality of sort criteria has appeared in at least some previous events involving the buyer; determining an order of display based on the number of times one or more sort criteria in the buyer profile applicable to the search results have appeared in the previous events involving the buyer; sorting the search results according to the determined order of display; communicating the sorted search results to the buyer; determining that a sort criterion has not appeared within a predetermined period of time or within a specified number of recent events; notifying the buyer that the record for the sort criterion may be deleted; deleting the sort criterion if the buyer indicates the sort criterion be deleted; and not deleting the sort criterion if the buyer indicates the sort criterion should not be deleted.
10. The method of claim 9 , wherein an attribute value is selected from the group consisting of a product attribute value and a seller attribute value.
11. The method of claim 9 , wherein a sort criterion is selected from the group consisting of a product attribute, a product attribute value, a seller attribute, and a seller attribute value.
12. The method of claim 9 , wherein an event is selected from the group consisting of a search query, a sort request, and a search result selection.
13. The method of claim 9 , wherein the determined order of display is based on the number of times each of a plurality of attribute values has appeared in events involving the buyer.
14. The method of claim 9 , wherein the determined order of display is based on the number of times each of a plurality of attributes has appeared in events involving the buyer.
15. The method of claim 9 , wherein the buyer profile comprises a record of the number of times each of a plurality of sort criteria has appeared in a specified number of recent events involving the buyer.
16. The method of claim 9 , further comprising deleting a record for a sort criterion from the buyer profile if the sort criterion has not appeared within a predetermined period of time or within a specified number of recent events.
17. The method of claim 9 , wherein the search query is under-constrained in that no attribute values are specified for one or more attributes.
18. Software for sorting search results according to a buyer profile during the matching phase of an electronic commerce transaction, the software embodied in a computer-readable medium and when executed operable to: receive a plurality of search results communicated from one or more seller databases in response to an under-constrained search query in which exact attribute values are not specified for one or more attributes; access a buyer profile associated with a buyer, the buyer profile comprising a record of the number of times each of a plurality of sort criteria has appeared in at least some previous events involving the buyer; determine an order of display based on the number of times one or more sort criteria in the buyer profile applicable to the search results have appeared in the previous events involving the buyer; sort the search results according to the determined order of display; communicate the sorted search results to the buyer; notify the buyer before deleting the sort criterion; and not delete the sort criterion if the buyer indicates the sort criterion should not be deleted.
19. The software of claim 18 , wherein an attribute value is selected from the group consisting of a product attribute value and a seller attribute value.
20. The software of claim 18 , wherein a sort criterion is selected from the group consisting of a product attribute, a product attribute value, a seller attribute, and a seller attribute value.
21. The software of claim 18 , wherein an event is selected from the group consisting of a search query, a sort request, and a search result selection.
22. The software of claim 18 , wherein the determined order of display is based on the number of times each of a plurality of attribute values has appeared in events involving the buyer.
23. The software of claim 18 , wherein the determined order of display is based on the number of times each of a plurality of attributes has appeared in events involving the buyer.
24. The software of claim 18 , wherein the buyer profile comprises a record of the number of times each of a plurality of sort criteria has appeared in a specified number of recent events involving the buyer.
25. The software of claim 18 , further operable to delete the record for the sort criterion from the buyer profile if the sort criterion has not appeared within a predetermined period of time or within a specified number of recent events.
26. The software of claim 18 , wherein the search query is under-constrained in that no attribute values are specified for one or more attributes.
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May 15, 2001
January 3, 2006
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